'Practical' and 'Theoretical' Astronomy in Ancient and Late Antique Literature
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Invited Talks and Lectures
Invited Talks and Lectures Fundamental Problems in Planetary Science and Astrobiology 13th IAU-Abdul Jabbar Astronomy Workshop Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Dhaka, Bangladesh (November 6, 2020) Terrestrial Planet Formation in Modern Era: Current State and Future Direction Pathways to Habitability Bad Hofgastein, Austria (January 12-18, 2020) Life Stories; A Career in Planetology Keynote Presentation at EPSC-DPS 2019 Geneva, Switzerland (September 15, 2019) Planets in Binary Stars Institute of Physical Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (ICF-UNAM) Cuernavaca, Mexico (February 20, 2019) New Advances in the Formation of Terrestrial Planets National Institute for Space Research San Jose Campos, Brazil (October 2, 2018) Four Lectures on Exoplanet Formation and Kepler Telescope’s Discoveries 3rd Astrobiology School at the National Observatory of Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (October 1 – 5, 2018) Planet Formation: The Gateway to Astrobiology Keynote talk at the 3rd AbGradE Symposium Berlin, Germany (September 22 – 24, 2018) From Dust to Planets Summer School on the Formation and Evolution of Stars and Planets, the Early Solar System, and the Emergence of Life Vienna, Austria (August 17 – 18, 2018) Modern Simulations of Terrestrial Planet Formation and the Origin of Earth’s Water Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, Germany (June 7, 2018) Modern Simulations of Terrestrial Planet Formation and the Origin of Earth’s Water University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands (June 4, 2018) Modern Simulations -
Planetary Diagrams — Descriptions, Models, Theories: from Carolingian Deployments to Copernican Debates
Planetary Diagrams — Descriptions, Models, Theories: from Carolingian Deployments to Copernican Debates Bruce Eastwood and Gerd Graßhoff Contents 1 Introduction . 1 2 The Beginnings in Carolingian Europe . 1 2.1 Astronomy and Computus before 800 . 1 2.2 Schools and Texts . 3 2.3 Diagrams and the Study of Texts . 7 2.4 Dynamics of Diagrams: Calcidius and Pliny . 7 2.5 Dynamics of Diagrams: Martianus Capella . 21 3 Qualitative Theory in the High and Later Middle Ages . 29 3.1 Dynamics of Diagrams: Construction of a Planetary The- ory............................ 29 3.2 The Capellan Tradition through the Fifteenth Century . 32 4 Merging Two Traditions: The Sixteenth Century . 37 1 INTRODUCTION Through three distinct periods from ca. 800 to ca. 1600 we find that European as- tronomers were concerned with questions about the planets that involved the dis- cussion and invention of models without quantitative expression. This qualitative tradition was first developed in the ninth century in the course of studying ancient Latin texts on cosmology and astronomy. The diagrams, used to represent different phenomena and aspects of planetary motion, continued as long as they were found useful for teaching, for exposing questions, or for proposing theoretical positions. The history of this tradition of planetary diagrams indicates a constant concern for qualitative theory and the co-existence of both qualitative and quantitative plane- tary theory after the introduction of the Greco-Arabic mathematical tradition of planetary astronomy in twelfth-century Europe. In the sixteenth century the same qualitative tradition continued as a source for approaches to new phenomena and problems. 2 THE BEGINNINGS IN CAROLINGIAN EUROPE 2.1 ASTRONOMY AND COMPUTUS BEFORE 800 From the sixth century to the twelfth century in Western Europe there was no direct influence of Greek works in the exact sciences. -
Institute of Theoretical Astronomy, 10, Kutuzov Quay, St.Petersburg, 191187, Russia
The Library of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1924 -1994). History, Present State, Perspectives for the Future M.V.Lapteva Institute of Theoretical Astronomy, 10, Kutuzov Quay, St.Petersburg, 191187, Russia e-mail: [email protected] fax: (812) 272-79-68 The Library of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (formerly The Library of the Astronomical Institute of the People’s Commisariat of Edu- cation, USSR (1924 - 1938); the Library of the Astronomical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1939 - 1943 (Dec. 16))) was established by the decision of the first director and founder of the Institute, Boris Vasil’evich Numerov (1891 - 1941), an outstanding astronomer in the fields of celestial mechanics, astrometry and geodesy, a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences since 1929 and a very gifted person who perished a victim to a repressive stalinist regime in 1941. The basis of the Library holdings formed the collections of books and pe- riodicals belonging to the Computational and Astronomo-Geodetic Institutes which merged in 1923 to form the Astronomical Institute. From the time of its foundation (1924) to 1930 the library had no profes- sional librarian. Beginning with 1924 and to 1936 (the time of his arrest) the director of the Institute B.V.Numerov devoted much of his time and efforts to primary and then current acquisition of relevant publications. During his numerous scientific missions abroad (Germany, USA, the coun- tries of the South America, etc) along with equipment he purchased urgently needed foreign publications and laid the basis for exchange of publications with foreign astronomical institutions since from 1922 the Institute started publishing its own works: 1. -
Need and Possibilities of Astronomy Teaching in the Finnish Comprehensive School
UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI REPORT SERIES IN PHYSICS HU•P•D124 Need and possibilities of astronomy teaching in the Finnish comprehensive school Irma Hannula DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL SCIENCES P.O. BOX FIN•00014 UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI HELSINKI, FINLAND Academic Dissertation To be presented, with the permission of the Faculty of Science of the University of Helsinki, for public criticism in the Small Auditorium E204 of the Department of Physical Sciences, on July 29th, 2005, at 12 o’clock. Helsinki 2005 ISBN 952•10•2103•9 (printed version) ISSN 0356•0961 ISBN 952•10•2104•7 (pdf•version) http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/ Photo: Aurora Borealis /Irma Hannula Yliopistopaino Helsinki Daniel my dear first•born grandchild you are joy and blessing for my life! I. Hannula: Need and possibilities of astronomy teaching in the Finnish comprehensive school, University of Helsinki, 2005, vii, 250 p., University of Helsinki, Report Series in Physics, HU•P•D124, ISBN 952•10• 2103•9 (printed version), ISSN 0356•0961, ISBN 952•10•2104•7 (pdf•version), http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/. Classification (INSPEC): A0140D, A0140E, A0140G, A0140J, A0190 Keywords: astronomy teaching, worldview, attitude, conceptual and processual structure Abstract The purpose of this work is to create a research•based foundation for planning the structure, content and methods of astronomy teaching in the Finnish comprehensive school. At first, a critical analysis of the significance of astronomy teaching from the point of view of the educational aims was made, in order to verify the need of it and to find significance factors, which would offer a basis for defining principles of astronomy teaching. -
Indigenous Astronomies and Progress in Modern Astronomy
Indigenous Astronomies and Progress in Modern Astronomy Clive Ruggles1 School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester University Road, LEICESTER LE1 7RH, U.K. E-mail: [email protected] From an anthropological point of view, the whole concept of a ‘path of progress’ in astronomical discovery is anathema, since it implicitly downgrades other cultural perspectives, such as the many ‘indigenous cosmologies’ that still exist in the modern world. By doing so, one risks provoking those who hold them and—as is most obvious in places such as Hawaii where the two ‘world-views’ come into direct contact—creating avoidable resistance to that very progress. The problem is complicated by the existence of ‘fringe’ and ‘new-age’ views that are increasingly confused with, and even passed off as, indigenous perceptions. In a modern world where widespread public perceptions include many that are unscientific in the broadest sense of the term, I shall argue that there are actually a range of positive benefits for progress in scientific astronomy to be derived from the mutual awareness and comprehension of ‘genuine’ cultural world-views whose goals—in common with those of modern science—are to make sense of the cosmos within which people live. While two-way education is clearly a prerequisite, I shall argue that the necessary level of reconciliation can only be achieved through more fundamental attempts by modern astronomers to understand, and ultimately to respect, both the non-Western frameworks of thought that give rise to other cultural perspectives and the heritage associated with them. One of the most obvious potential benefits could derive from common attitudes towards the natural heritage of astronomy, namely dark skies. -
Stellarium for Cultural Astronomy Research
RESEARCH The Simulated Sky: Stellarium for Cultural Astronomy Research Georg Zotti Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Vienna, Austria [email protected] Susanne M. Hoffmann Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Michael-Stifel-Center/ Institut für Informatik and Physikalisch- Astronomische Fakultät, Jena, Germany [email protected] Alexander Wolf Altai State Pedagogical University, Barnaul, Russia [email protected] Fabien Chéreau Stellarium Labs, Toulouse, France [email protected] Guillaume Chéreau Noctua Software, Hong Kong [email protected] Abstract: For centuries, the rich nocturnal environment of the starry sky could be modelled only by analogue tools such as paper planispheres, atlases, globes and numerical tables. The immer- sive sky simulator of the twentieth century, the optomechanical planetarium, provided new ways for representing and teaching about the sky, but the high construction and running costs meant that they have not become common. However, in recent decades, “desktop planetarium programs” running on personal computers have gained wide attention. Modern incarnations are immensely versatile tools, mostly targeted towards the community of amateur astronomers and for knowledge transfer in transdisciplinary research. Cultural astronomers also value the possibili- ties they give of simulating the skies of past times or other cultures. With this paper, we provide JSA 6.2 (2020) 221–258 ISSN (print) 2055-348X https://doi.org/10.1558/jsa.17822 ISSN (online) 2055-3498 222 Georg Zotti et al. an extended presentation of the open-source project Stellarium, which in the last few years has been enriched with capabilities for cultural astronomy research not found in similar, commercial alternatives. -
What Is Cultural History? Free
FREE WHAT IS CULTURAL HISTORY? PDF Peter Burke | 168 pages | 09 Sep 2008 | Polity Press | 9780745644103 | English | Oxford, United Kingdom What is cultural heritage? – Smarthistory Programs Ph. Cultural History Cultural history brings to life a past time and place. In this search, cultural historians study beliefs and ideas, much as What is Cultural History? historians do. In addition to the writings of intellectual elites, they consider the notions sometimes unwritten of the less privileged and less educated. These are reflected in the products of deliberately artistic culture, but also include the objects and experiences of everyday life, such as clothing or cuisine. In this sense, our instincts, thoughts, and acts have an ancestry which cultural history can illuminate and examine critically. Historians of culture at Yale study all these aspects of the past in their global interconnectedness, and explore how they relate to our many understandings of our varied presents. Cultural history is an effort to inhabit the minds of the people of different worlds. This journey is, like great literature, thrilling in itself. It is also invaluable for rethinking our own historical moment. Like the air we breathe, the cultural context that shapes our understanding of the world is often invisible for those who are surrounded by it; cultural history What is Cultural History? us to take a step back, and recognize that some of what we take for granted is remarkable, and that some of what we have thought immutable and What is Cultural History? is contingent and open to change. Studying how mental categories have shifted inspires us to What is Cultural History? how our own cultures and societies can evolve, and to ask what we can do as individuals to shape that process. -
Newsletter of the Japan Research Centre
JRC news Newsletter of the Japan Research Centre January 2006 CENTRE MEMBERS Dr Timon Screech, Centre Chair Dr Lucia Dolce Dr Barbara Pizziconi Reader in the History of Japanese Lecturer in Japanese Religions Lecturer in Applied Japanese Art Department of the Study of Linguistics Department of Art and Archaeology Religions Department of the Languages and [email protected] [email protected] Cultures of Japan and Korea [email protected] Professor Timothy Barrett Professor Andrew Gerstle Professor East Asian History Professor of Japanese Studies Ms Sonja Ruehl Department of the Study of Department of the Languages and Deputy Director Religions Cultures of Japan and Korea Department of Financial and [email protected] [email protected] Management Studies [email protected] Professor Brian Bocking Professor Christopher Howe Professor of the Study of Religions Research Professor, Chinese Business Dr Isolde Standish Department of the Study of Management Lecturer in Japanese Religions Department of Financial and Department of the Languages and [email protected] Management Studies Cultures of Japan and Korea [email protected] [email protected] Dr John Breen Senior Lecturer in Japanese Dr David W. Hughes Department of the Languages and Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology Cultures of Japan and Korea Department of Music [email protected] [email protected] Dr John Carpenter Dr Costas Lapavitsas Professorial Research Associates Donald Keene Lecturer in Japanese Senior Lecturer in Economics Art Depart,ment of Economics Professor Gina Barnes Department of Art and Archaeology [email protected] Professor Harry Harootunian [email protected] Dr Angus Lockyer Research Associates Mr Alan Cummings Lecturer in the History of Japan Lecturer in Japanese Literature Department of History Dr Penelope Francks Department of the Languages and [email protected] Dr Christopher Jones Cultures of Japan and Korea Dr Simon rKane [email protected] Dr Nicole Liscutin Dr Helen MacNaughton Dr Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere Handa Fellow in Japanese Business Dr P. -
Arab Conference on Astronomy and Geophysics the 5Th Assembly (ACAG-5) By: Sultana N
Arab Conference on Astronomy and Geophysics the 5th Assembly (ACAG-5) By: Sultana N. Nahar, The Ohio State University The international Arab Conference on Astronomy and Geophysics (ACAG) has been held every two years since its initiation in 2008 by the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Egypt and the General Secretary of the League of Arab States. The objectives are to hold ACAG in all Arab states and strengthen the collaborations among the Arab countries. However, any non-Arabic country is welcome to join. I attended the 5th Assembly held at the National Research Institute of The author of this article, Sultana N. Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) in Helwan, Egypt during Nahar, the first woman Guest of Honor at October 17 - 20, 2016. It was my honor to be invited as the first female ACAG-5. Guest of Honor at ACAG along with two Emirs from the United Arab Emirates. As told, I might be the first female guest of honor at any other Arab conferences. NRIAG in Egypt has been the main host for ACAGs, but the plan is now to move to other Arab countries. Egypt is the most attractive place for students and researchers of North African and Middle-Eastern countries for education and research. Founded in 1839 in Boulac, NRIAG (previously the Helwan observatory) is the oldest observatory in North Africa. It moved to Abbassia and then to Helwan in 1903 where it is currently located. It runs 11 labs all over Egypt with space and solar, seismology, geomagnetism, geoelectric, and geodynamics research labs. -
Evaluation Report for the Division of Theoretical Astronomy of NAOJ Piet
Evaluation Report for the Division of Theoretical Astronomy of NAOJ Piet Hut, Yipeng Jing, Doug Lin, Shin Mineshige, Masayuki Umemura February 2008 1. Summary We are impressed by the many accomplishments that have been made in the Theory and Computation Division of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) in the past four years. We agree with the self-evaluation report of the Division, which has high- lighted many important areas of research to which the Division has made major contri- butions. In particular, we agree with their analysis of their scienti¯c output: they have published a large number of papers with signi¯cant impact on the international community. If anything, the self-evaluation has been too modest. The Division of Theoretical Astronomy / Center for Computational Astrophysics (DTA/CfCA) is truly an international center of excellence in computational astrophysics, one of the most important centers of that type in the world. Much progress has been made on the development and application of numerical algorithms as well as actual hardware which enable large scale computation in areas ranging from solar system formation to the emergence of structure in the Universe. The 4D2U initiative has produced an e®ective package for public outreach as well as a valuable research tool. We strongly endorse future expansion of the theoretical e®ort especially in the development of innovative algorithms and state-of-the-art simulations. These simulations can provide predictions as well as interpretations of observations to be obtained from the various next- generation astronomical facilities. No matter how important direct observations and pure theoretical thought may be, their signi¯cance can only be understood through the bridge between the two that is provided by means of detailed simulations. -
The Astronomy of Many Cultures: a Resource Guide
The Astronomy of Many Cultures: A Resource Guide by Andrew Fraknoi (Fromm Institute, U. of San Francisco) Version 5.1; July 2020 © copyright 2020 by Andrew Fraknoi. The right to use or reproduce this guide for any nonprofit educational purpose is hereby granted. For permission to use in other ways, or to suggest additional materials, please contact the author at e-mail: fraknoi {at} fhda {dot} edu The teaching of astronomy in our colleges and high schools often sidesteps the contributions of cultures outside of Europe and the U.S. white mainstream. Few educators (formal or informal) receive much training in this area, and they therefore tend to stick to people and histories they know from their own training -- even when an increasing number of their students or audiences might be from cultures beyond those familiar to them. Luckily, a wealth of material is becoming available to help celebrate the ideas and contributions of non-European cultures regarding our views of the universe. This listing of resources about cultures and astronomy makes no claim to be comprehensive, but simply consists of some English-language materials that can be used both by educators and their students or audiences. We include published and web-based materials, plus videos and classroom activities. In this edition, we have made a particular effort to enlarge resources about African-American and Hispanic American astronomers. Note that there’s a separate listing about the role of women in astronomy at: http://bit.ly/astronomywomen Table of Contents: 1. General Resources on the Astronomy of Diverse Cultures 2. -
Star Factories at the End of the World | Maxplanckresearch 1/2013
Star Factories at the End of the World When the universe came into being 13.7 billion years ago, there was initially only radiation. A few hundred million years later, however, the space was filled with galaxies – tremendously productive star factories that don’t fit quite so well with the image of a gradual cosmic evolution. Researchers like Fabian Walter from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg are attempting to illuminate a dark epoch of the universe. TEXT ALEXANDER STIRN FOCUS_Cosmology A deeper view into the cosmos: This section from the Hubble Ultra Deep Field shows the galaxies at the edge of space and time. Huge numbers of stars are born in these young Milky Ways. inding catchy designations But this is slowly changing: “Because It’s still detective work – a laborious for incomprehensible pro- our telescopes are continually improv- search that has practically nothing to cesses has never been a prob- ing and becoming more sensitive, we do with the colorful photos that astron- lem for astronomers: They see things today that we couldn’t have omy otherwise produces. Many of these call the era that begins just observed ten years ago,” says Fabian typical, vivid photographs are hanging F 380,000 years after the birth of the uni- Walter, an astronomer at the Max in the stairwell of the Heidelberg-based verse the Dark Ages. At that time, the Planck Institute for Astronomy in Hei- institute, a concrete structure located positively charged ions emerging from delberg. There, the 41-year-old investi- on the Königstuhl promontory high the Big Bang set about catching the free gates how and when the first stars above the city.